AN official from the Philippine Chamber of Agriculture and Food Inc. (PCAFI) floated the possibility of scrapping the minimum access volume (MAV) tariff-setting policy, which designates lower duties to agricultural imports.

According to the PCAFI, a uniform 35-percent must be implemented for the agricultural products that are being shipped into the country.

According to PCAFI president Danilo Fausto they are pushing the said proposal.

It was done during the meeting between the country’s food producers and Department of Agriculture (DA) officials led by Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel at the DA main offices.

According to Fausto, the PCAFI is looking to remove the MAV tariff-setting policy designating lower duties to agricultural imports, as long as they fall within volumes agreed upon with the World Trade Organization (WTO).

“The 1995 policy is long outdated, and food producers would rather have a uniform rate of as high as 35 percent on all agricultural goods being shipped into the country,” he said.

Fausto made the explanation to the DA, saying that the policy is necessary when one considers that the MAV-approved volume for chicken imports is only 23.5 metric tons annually, when in reality, the Philippines imported around 400 MTs of dressed chicken in 2023.